Sophia Harris
Stories
7
Chapters
2,628
Words
1.4 K
Comments
0
Reading
6 m
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A viridian river swirled overhead, a fault line in the confines of his prison. Its eerie light bathed the jungle on the western side of the Spike, granting a moment of sight. Colossal trees surrounded him, indifferent beholders to the carnage below. Rat-sized insects skittered for cover in the underbrush as slit yellow eyes searched for prey. The spatial disturbance dispersed from the starless sky, plunging the world into darkness. Kai heaved for breath. Nights lasted longer in this realm. He had lost…-
239 •
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A rhythmic tapping sounded from the kitchen. Kai sat on the couch, trying to ignore the gaze fixed on him. “I’m not going to disappear if you blink.” “Sorry, I had a weird day…” Flynn turned to his minced onion. “It’s still strange seeing you here, in my house.” “All good. I can’t fault you after vanishing into the Hidden Sanctuary for two years.” He had been such a fool to think surviving in an unknown realm would be just another challenge. Zervathi had pressured him into an…
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239 •
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A cloudy cloak draped over the moons, leaving only the cold crystal lamps to illuminate the streets of Higharbor. Beyond the shops and stalls of Ring Road, voices and bodies grew sparse. Flynn stole a glance over his shoulder. A band of drunken sailors sang a lewd shanty about the three sirens, while a woman smoked a pipe on a balcony two floors up. None of his perception skills detected suspicious individuals, but he couldn’t shake the feeling he was being followed. What should have been a done deal…
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239 •
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Seryne forced her palms to lay still on her legs. She had been sitting in the empty hallway for the better part of an hour. Being the one waiting to be summoned was a strange sensation, and not one she enjoyed. A clerk with a thin goatee opened the door. “Captain Seryne?” He read from his clipboard with a disdainful smile—as if he didn’t remember her name. “The general will receive you now.” Keeping a calm expression, she stood up as Sergeant Makyn walked out the office. The soldier…
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239 •
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Kai faltered as the window into the Hidden Sanctuary stood before him. He had witnessed firsthand how dangerous spatial magic could be in his clumsy attempts at teleporting cups and shells. If Zervathi made a mistake, he would be turned into human mush before realizing it. Kai glared at the shard in his hand, unsure where to direct his irritation. While the god remained quiet, the complexity of the portal reassured him somewhat. The filaments composing the frame were woven so tight, he would have…
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239 •
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On the other side of the passage, the basilisk refused to die despite the blade stuck through its neck. The beast gurgled hisses with manic fury, its claws screeching on the ivory stone at his feet. Kai stared at the darkness overhead, unable to blink, robbed of any physical sensation beyond sight and hearing. His skills and mana were slow to respond. Mana Observer required his full focus to just expand over the beast. He couldn’t pierce its cloaking, but he could see bright ichor gushing from its…
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239 •
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Bearing down with the full might of his enhanced Mind and Spirit, Kai imagined an impenetrable cloak of Shadow enveloping the Altar. Dark motes flowed out of him in droves and wrapped around the artifact. It worked—for exactly half a second—, then the veil swelled and burst into a torrent of colorful lights. The streams of essence couldn’t be contained or cut off from the mana flow of the ruins. Kai interrupted the cast before the spell could burn through the rest of his Shadow reserves. The…
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239 •
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A whisper of danger bloomed in the distance. Kai reached for the enhancing vial in his pocket, his fingers closed in on the cold glass. Once he drank it, he would be on a timer. If he didn’t steal the Altar from the basilisk and get to safety before the effects run out, he’d be screwed. Either by getting eaten or by failing his quest. Mana Observer flooded through the maze of corridors and chambers, but the high density outshone the subtle twinkling of the beast. To pierce the basilisk’s…
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239 •
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Kai realigned the block of ivory stone and cast a layer of dark moss to make the patch indistinguishable from the rest. Heading down the muddy tunnels towards the meeting point, he repeated the process again for the first exit used to escape the storage chamber. Once his break out was discovered, someone would put together that cutting through stone was the only way to leave the camp unnoticed. The camouflage wouldn’t stand up to scrutiny if an Earth shaper examined the walls, though Seryne might not…
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239 •
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“Of course, it shouldn't be a problem. I already planned to go test her intentions after the order of retreat.” Valela drummed her fingers on the table. “What do you need to steal? Maybe I can get it for you.” He’d have rather not gone into details and needless worries, though he couldn’t resent her for looking out for him. Her help would make the attempt considerably less dangerous. Escaping an unguarded cell was different from sneaking past yellow professionals. “You should hide here…
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239 •
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